Wild elephant 'breaks' tree to make a bridge to escape electric fence

TPO - Wild elephants have knocked down concrete pillars of electric fences and uprooted trees on top of electric fences to escape over the fences and beyond the forest boundary.

Dong Nai Forest Protection Department has just issued a document requesting Dong Nai Nature and Culture Reserve to coordinate in implementing measures to limit wild elephants from destroying electric fences and to limit conflicts between elephants and humans.

Wild elephant 'breaks' tree to make an overpass to escape the cinema fence 1

An electric fence area in Phu Ly commune, Vinh Cuu district

According to the Dong Nai Forest Protection Department, in the past time, the Dong Nai Nature and Culture Reserve has basically done a good job in managing, protecting, and operating electric fences, and has coordinated with the rapid response team of the Vinh Cuu District People's Committee to apply measures to limit conflicts between elephants and humans.

Wild elephant 'breaks' tree to make an overpass to escape the fence in movie 2

Wild elephants were recorded in Dinh Quan district.

However, currently in the area managed by Dong Nai Nature and Culture Reserve, there are 1 to 2 elephants regularly appearing, knocking down poles (electric fences) and knocking down hybrid acacia trees into the electric fence, causing damage and affecting the operation of the electric fence line. According to statistics, from the beginning of the year until now, there have been 40 cases of elephants breaking down fences, including 8 cases of knocking down poles and 32 cases of knocking down trees into the electric fence, mainly occurring at electric fence lines 4 and 5.

Clip of wild elephant breaking tree to "neutralize" electric fence

To limit the above situation and to ensure the stable operation of the electric fence to contribute to the good implementation of elephant conservation work in Dong Nai province, the Forest Protection Department requested the Dong Nai Nature and Culture Reserve to continue to strengthen patrols and coordinate in handling incidents on the electric fence caused by wild elephants. At the same time, propagate and mobilize households growing hybrid acacia and other crops to cut the rows of trees close to the electric fence so that when wild elephants knock down trees, it will not affect the operation of the electric fence.

Wild elephant 'breaks' tree to make an overpass to escape the fence in movie 3

Concrete stakes used as electric fence posts were knocked down by elephants.

Dong Nai province is recorded to have about 24 wild elephants and is the locality with the second largest wild elephant herd in the country. Implementing the Emergency Elephant Conservation Project for the period 2014-2020, Dong Nai province has built 75km of electric fences through Vinh Cuu, Dinh Quan and Tan Phu districts to prevent elephants from entering residential areas from the forest, avoiding conflicts between humans and elephants.